Rubber doll head and method for making the same



Feb. 9, 1937. M. s. LOWER 2,070,366

RUBBER DOLL HEAD AND METHOD FOR MAKIIENG THE SAME Filqd Sfapt. 50, 1 56 Melvin "5. Lower Patented Feb. 9, 1937 PATENT OFFI QE RUBBER. DQLL HEAD AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME Mervin S. Lower, Wadsworth, Ohio, assignor to The Sun Rubber Company, Barberton, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application September 30, 1936, Serial No. 103,305

5 Claims.

This. invention relates to eye constructions for hollow rubber dolls and to methods for producing the same.

Heretofore, the usual practise in providing eye constructions for hollow, rubber dolls in which the eyes can close or open depending upon the position of the doll, it has been customary to provide separate sockets in the doll head in back of the eye openings and to provide eye units which are separately received and retained in said sockets, the rubber being molded with a lip about the socket for retaining such eye unit in place. Such a construction is, however, unsatisfactory in that the eyes may become twisted out of place in the sockets and may also be displaced from the sockets into the inside of the head.

The general purpose of the present invention is to provide a rubber doll in which the head is formed with a cavity in back of the usual eye openings so'shaped as to receive a unit comprising a pair of opening and closing eye devices which may be of a known type permanently associated together in correct positions from which they cannot be displaced upon flexing the wall of rubber forming the head of the doll and to provide means integral with the doll head for engaging the eye supporting unit and fastening it securely in the head against displacement.

The foregoing and other purposes of the invention are attained in the construction illus trated in the accompanying drawing and described below. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific form thereof shown and described.

Of the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a hollow rubber doll head and the core on which it is molded and vulcanized.

Figure 2- is .an enlarged section through the eye-portion of the doll head.

Figure 3 is a vertical section through the ear portions, looking forwardly, of a doll head embodying the invention, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawing, in carrying out the present invention the core ID of a known construction upon which the head II is formed and vulcanized is provided with portions I0, II] for forming the eye openings and sockets behind the same and with a bridging portion I2 between the portions ID, the portions Ill and I2 extending into a groove I3 in the core back of the eyes of the doll head in which groove I3 a thick web I4 of rubber is formed for surrounding the eyesockets. The portions Ill and I2 accordingly from two eye-sockets I5, I5 with a connecting groove I6 in the web M.

The present invention contemplates the provision of an eye-unit in which a pair of opening and closing eye structures of a known type shown at I1, I! are secured to a base or backing plate i8 which may comprise a sheet metal stamping of generally arcuate shape as shown in Figure 4 for supporting the eyes Il in proper positions sockets l5 which they are shaped to fit, the backing plate !8 having a reduced shank It fitting in groove I6. The eye devices I! are secured to the face of the backing plate I8 in any suitable man ner as by bending flanges I8 on the backing plate I8 about the rear portions of the eye structure as best shown in Figure 4.

To securethe eye unit comprising eyes IT and backing plate I8 in the doll head with the eyes in sockets I5 and the shank IE! in groove I6, a suitable fastening device such as a rivet I9 may be provided, the head of which may be embedded and vulcanized in the rubber wall of the doll head so that the rivet will project rearwardly out of the web I i into groove I6. The rivet I9 may be of the pronged type as shown and as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 may be inserted in a bore in the core in which is a pin 2| having a wedge-shaped end at 2 I for engaging between the prongs of the rivet to position the same for most convenient assembly of the eye unit with the head. As is shown the rivet is positioned so that the prongs may be bent sidewise by a suitable tool extending through the neck opening I I in the bottom of the doll head (see Fig. 3).

The shank I8 of the eye-unit may be provided with a central aperture It to be engaged over the rivet as the eye-unit is assembled in sockets I5 and groove I6 .and the prongs of the rivet I9 may be bent in back of the shank as shown in Figures 3 and 4 to secure the eye-unit in place. It will be obvious that other fastening means such as screws, bolts, etc. may be inte grally secured in the head of the doll to fasten the eye-unit in place in an equivalent manner.

It will be seen that by the invention a pair of permanently associated eyes may be easily and effectively mounted as a unit in a rubber doll head so as to be properly positioned and permanently retained in place therein both in the manfacture and during the subsequent use of the doll.

Modification of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A hollow rubber doll head formed with eye openings and a web of rubber on the inside of the head having eye socket formations back of the eye openings said sockets being connected by a groove extending between the sockets, a fastening device comprising a pronged rivet having a head embedded and vulcanized in the rubber wall of the doll head so as to project rearwardly in said groove and an eye unit having a pair of opening and closing eye devices secured thereto for fitting in said sockets and a shank for fitting in said groove, said shank having an aperture engaged over said projecting rivet, and the prongs of said rivet being bent in back of said shank to secure the eye unit in place in the doll head.

2. A hollow rubber doll head formed with eye openings and eye socket formations back of the eye openings said sockets being connected by a groove extending between the sockets, a fastening device having a head embedded and vulcanized in the rubber wall of the doll head so as to project rearwardly in said groove and an eye unit comprising a base having a pair of opening and closing eye devices secured thereto for fitting in said socket formations and a shank for fitting in said groove, said shank having an aperture engaged over said fastening device and said fastening device having means thereon for securing it to shank to secure the eye unit in place in the doll head.

3. A hollow rubber doll head structure including a rubber wall formed with eye openings and a unit comprising a base having a pair of eyes thereon including socket members for fitting in said openings on the inside of the head, each of said eyes including eye-ball members independently tiltable inside the socket members, and means for securing said unit in said head comprising a fastening device having a portion permanently embedded in the wall of rubber constituting said head and secured to said eye unit.

4. That method for making hollow rubber doll heads with opening and closing eyes which comprises forming a hollow doll head with eye openings with sockets in back of the eye openings securing a portion of a fastening device in the rubber constituting the wall of the doll head between the eye openings by embedding and vulcanizing a portion of a fastening device in said wall whereby the fastening device projects into the head, providing a base, securing eye members in spaced relation on said base, said eye devices having socket members for fitting in said sockets with eye-ball members independently tiltable therein said base providing a connecting shank between the eyes, inserting said unit in the head with the eye devices in said sockets and securing the projecting portion of the fastening device to said shank.

5. That method for making hollow rubber doll heads with opening and closing eyes which comprises forming a hollow doll head with eye openings with sockets in back of the eye openings securing a fastening device in the rubber constituting the wall of the doll head by embedding and vulcanizing a portion of a fastening device in said wall whereby a portion of the fastening device projects into the head, providing a structure including a base securing eye devices for fitting in said sockets in spaced relation on said base whereby to provide a connecting shank, insorting said unit in the head with the eye devices in said sockets and securing the fastening device to said shank, said fastening device comprising a pronged rivet with the prongs extending rearwardly in the groove, said shank being apertured and the rivet being extended through the shank, the prongs of the rivet being bent in back of the shank to retain the unit in place.

MELVIN S. LOWER. 

